Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-01-14


their opponents, the protectionists, have
raised their hands in holy horror at the cer-
taiaty of commercial and financial ruin that
would speedily follow such policy. They
have wept tears of blood at the thought of the
manufacturing interests" being left widows
and the ''infant industries" orphans. They
have sung in mournful numbers of the
sne0ita5ze degradation of American labor to the
level of the European pauper They have
nainted in most sombre colors the closed
workshop, the idle me- nd the aban-
doned furnace + ion and
" that wer
*. And now the ,--.4,loAToB one OF the
st protectionst papers in the State, admits
at all this woe and desolation 'tcan not be
oresold with any sort of certainty" In view
of this admission, are we not correct in the
inference that our friends, the protectionists,
have made mistake ?-Stras5uay Neacs,
(Dem.
1t is not sour friends the protection
ists,'' but our friend the Strasburg
ssNeWs," who has made mistake. The
VINDICAToR, SO far from opposing re-
vision Of the tariff has been consistent
advocate of it. 1t opposes the Morrison
bill because it is in no sense revision,
but horizontal reduction, regardless OF
Che necessities of the situation and utterly
Ignoring this plank of the National Dem
aorot;o nj q form of 1894.
GIN making a reduction of taxes it is not
proposed to injure any domestic indus
tries, but rather to promote their healthy
growth From the foundation OF this
Government, taxes collected at the Custom
House have been the chief source of Federal
revenue. Such they must continue to be-
Moreover, many Industries have come to rely
upon legislation for successful con tinuance;
50 that any change of law must be at every
step regardful of the labor and capital thus
involved. The process of reform must be
subject in the execution to this plain dictate
of JUSTICE
There is another reason that no tariff
proposed oy Morrison will ever receive the
vote of Virginia member of Congress.
He is opposed to the abolition of the CO.
bacco tax and reduction of the whiskey
sax, two burdens that bear heavily On
Virginia, and her friends will vote Tor no
tariff bill that will not admit of this abo-
iition and reduction being made Again,
py his clause to admit free ores he has
shown that he is not equal to the framing
OF tariff bill to suit the wants of the
country, and especially of Virginia. These
ii q the reasons that Mr.. Morrison's tariff
efforts can never get the endorsement OF
the Democratic party, as party, and mas
never gotten it:-they are in opposition TO
Che National Democratic platform; they
are in opposition to the welfare OF the
State of Virginia and they are i'll opposi-
ton to common sense. Those who oppose
him are not opponents of revision Of the
sariff. but on the contrary believe that
such revision is necessary and something
tha5 not only should. but must be done;
sat Il must be done by competent hands,
in the fighg cs nxnerience and with per-
feet apprehension Na wants OF uhe
country. These AIDS = --iaon has
failed to bring to the discharge of his duty
as Chairman of the Committee OF Ways
aud Means.
The preparation of tariff bill for the
United States is something that must be
as free from political partizanry as the
opening of a big commercial establishment,
and with the phenomenal growth OF the
country is obliged to be uncertain in the
reduction of revenue it will make. 1t
needs calm, thoughtful, wide survey
of the great field Of industry, and not the
slap-dash and whoop of political Buffalo
Bills of the Wild West. In tariff there
la the daily bread of thousands of people
at stake, and before we look at the good
TO come from it we must look at the suf-
facing that may arise from it. Such ex-
SDliaation could be made in revision,
: which means careful overlooking and
4, sting of the tariff. The difference
ween the MorrisonIand Randall wings
ae Democracy is not as to the necessl-
revision--both agree on that-but it
"A what ought to be done first. The
Awing claims, that the pledge of the
democratic party to abolish ali
Should be carried out by the
lon OF that purely and distinctjvely
TAX the Internal Revenue, and after
kat, proceed to the consideration OF
k,ties. The Morrison wing holds tnat 10
ies constitute the war tax tina
frst be abolished. The plainest
view of revision would
Nhat it would be best first
Ast amount will be neces-
Ge Internal Revenue
ke, but the so-called
Icb rath-
fight